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J. F. SCHIMEK Dec. 7

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CARDED MATERIAL Filed Nov; 24, 1924 15019722297.- zisephFJckzmek 6 Sheets-Sheet l J. F. SCHIMEK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CARDED MATERIAL Filed "Nov. 24, 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmumnnmullmhnm#111 l Dec. 7 1926,

J. F. SCHIMEK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CARDED MATERIAL Filed Nov. 24, 1924 6 sh t -sheet 3 killl [Ill 1 llilIll ||||||il1a (ll 152272??? $7: sepia mkz'm eff y QZZ'ErRc-y M wwzw Dec. 7 1926.

J. F. SCHIMEK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CARDED MATERIAL s Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 24, 1924 gig-i Jse ah mc'izz'mefl .B; Marne J. F. SCHEMEK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CARDED MATERIAL Filed 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 755657072 Fflckz'melf Dec 7 1826.,

J. F. SCHIMEK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CARDED MATERIAL Filed Nov. 24'. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 ill) Patented Dec, 7, W26.

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JOSEPH F. SCHIMEK, OF WOBCE$TER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CASHIKO MA- CHINE CQMPANY, OF WORCESTER, I'JIASSACQEIUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF ItTASSA- CI-IUSETTS.

WIETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING CARDED MATERIAL.

Application filed November-2e, 1924.

1' am aware that apparatus has been heretofore employed for transferring cardings from one machine to another, such apparatus being usually interposed between successive breaker cards, or between a breaker.

card and a finishing card, as desired' The purpose of transferring cardings from one machine to another is to present the cardings of the first machine to the teeth of the second machine in such a manner that the fibres of the staple extend substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the card cylinders of the second machine. It is well known, however, that apparatus heretofore constructed for transferring the carded material from one machine to another has been subject to certain defects owing to the manner in which the cardings are handled, and

these defects will now be pointed out in order to give a more complete understanding of what is accomplished by the present invention.

The difliculties arising from the previous manner of handling carded material are largely due to the fact that the parallel relation between the fibres of the staple is seriously disturbed at the time of removing the cardings from the dol'ler cylinder. As the doffer knife removes the sheet of parallel fibres from the dofier cylinder, the fibres are condensed into a ropelilre sliver, as it is then called, at a point tangent to the defer cylinder, which sliver is passed through a suitable funnel, or nozzle, which tends to further condense it, often with a twisting movement, so that the sliver can be conveniently transferred to the next Serial No. 751,890.

the fibres of the carded staple is seriously disturbed as the fibres are condensed into the sliver, particularly when any twisting occurs, so that the teeth of the succeeding card cylinders will exert a tearing effect on the fibres as they are again drawn into parallel relation. This tearing action is particularly objectionable when working'with staple having lon fibres, for obviously many of the fibres will be broken as they are torn apart,.thus destroying the advantages gained by the use of long staple material, such as high grade wool.

According to the present invention I provide an improved method and apparatus for handling carded staple as it is transferred from one carding machine to another in such a'inanner that the parallel relation aetween the fibres remains practically undisturbed from the time the fibres leave the doifer cylinder until they are acted upon by the teeth of the next card. The cardings which are handled by my improve-cl apparatus are presented to the teeth of the second card in such a manner that the fibres are drawn out in their new relation with an almost complete absence of the tearing apart of the fibres, due to their having been compacted and twisted together in the formation and handling of the sliver as heretofore practiced. The above and other advantageous features of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. l is a view in side elevation showing portions of two separate carding machines with my improved apparatus for conveying card d staple therebetween.

V F 2 is a plan view illustrating the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.

Fig, 3 is an end view of that portion of my improved apparatus which cooperates directly with the first carding machine.

1* g. 4 is a view in front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an end view similar to Fig. 3, coking from the opposite side of the machine.

6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the principle of operation of the gathering device.

g- 7. 8 a VlGW ll; side elevation, show:

ing on an enlarged scale, that portion of my apparatus for conveying the sliver from one carding machine to the other.

Fig. 8 is a'view in end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 7. a

Fig. 9 is a View in end elevation, showing on an enlarged scale, that portion of my apparatus which delivers the eardings to the second carding machine.

Fig. 10 is a view in front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view along the line ll--11 of Fig. 10, looking in the direction oi the arrows.

Fig. 12 is an end view similar to Fig. 3, showing a modification of a portion of my apparatus.

Fig. 13 is a View, in-t'ront elevation, of the parts-shown in Fig. 12.

Fig.-14 is a plan View of the parts show??-v inv F ig, 13, certain structural details being; omitted.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to F i s. 1 and 2, portions of two separate carding machines are en orally designated by the reference characters 1 and 2, and for convenience of description, these machines 1 and 2 will be hereinafter referred to as the first and second carding machines respectively. The machines l and 2 may be of any well known type, although both machines would probably' be what are commonly referred to as breaker cards in the usual practice. It is entirely within the contemplation of my invention, however, to employ my improved method and apparatus in connection with a breaker card and a finishing card.

In the ordinary operation of the first machine 1, the fibres of the staple are drawn into parallel relation by cooperi-rtic-n between the card cylinder and the smaller card rolls li urrounding, the same. The doii'er cylin- (lt 5 is adapted to strip the fibres from the fibres then being in a thin. sheet extending around the periphery of the doiler cylinder. The parts described thus far form no part of the present invention. which has to do entirely with the manner of, removing the cardings from the doiter cylinder 5 and the subsequent handling thereof. a

The improved apparatus for carrying out my inventionconsists of three units namely, a gathering device, 6 cooperating with the first carding machine 1. a distributing device cooperating with the second carding machine 2. and a conveyor 8 cooperating with a gathering and distributing devices 6 and 7. As illustrated. the gathsing device 6 and the distributing device 7 are so con? structed as to constitute complete rnits which may befireadily applied to any card ing machine, although of course, either one main cylinder 3, the

. scribed.

or both of these devices may be incorporated in the actual structure 01" a carding machine.

As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4-, the gathering device 6 consists of an apron 9 extending the length of the dotfer cylinder 5. one end of the apron 9 being supported by a roll 10 rotatably mounted near the periph cry of the doiler cylinder 5, with its axis of rotation parallel to the axis of the cylinder The other end of the apron 9 passes over a roll 11 which is rotatably mounted with its axis of rotation parallel to, but ertically displaccdwith respect to the axis of the roll 19, so that the apron 9 has an upward inclination away fron'i the defier cylinder 5.

R shaft 12 extends above the doffer end oi the apron 9, and as best shown in Fig. .2, carries a number of fingers 13, to which are attached a dofiing knife 14:. The doffingr knife ll extends parallel to the surface of the cylinder at a small distance herefron and is adapted to have an oscillatory move ment imparted thereto, whereby it will renovo the cardings from the cylinders 5 as I the latter rotates in the direction of the arrow.

As is usual in the operation of carding machines. the cardings are carried on the surface of the cylinder 5 in the form of a thin sheet of fibres, more or less interlaced with each other, and all extending in sub stantially the same direction. The oscillation of the knife 14 therefore serves to strip the sheet of cardings from the cylinder 3 without disturbing the arrangement of the fibres, so that the sheet of cardings pa on to the apron 9 substantially intact. In other words, the cooperation between the cylinder the apron 9 and the knife 14- is such as to nicrcly change the direction or inoyei'n nt of the sheet of cardings from a cn'cui )renti'al path around the periphery oi the cylinder into a rectilinear path determined by the moving surface of the apron 9.

()sciliatory movement is imparted to the si'iaft 12, which carries the knife 14 by means of its connection to a shaft 15 which is adapted to be driven from a suitable source of power, such as the drive shaft 16 of the carding machine 1. by means of a belt ii" passing); over pulleys 1S and 1.9. see Fig. 1. its best she n in I ig. 5. the upper apron r l llis presided with the shaft extension 2 I carrying sprocket wheel 21, which is driven from a suitable source of power, such ad'r ng sprocket by iii-cans of chain 23 whi lso serves to drive other parts of the gathering device. 6. to be hereinafter de- As best shown inFigs. 2 and 3, a deflecting roiLMeXtends partially beneath the upraised end of-the apron 9 with its axis of rotation anguln i1 placed with respect to the axis of rot; )11 of the apron roll '11. The roll 24; is rotatably mounted in end bearings 25 which are adjustable on the end frames 26, so that the position of the axis of rotation XX of the roll 24 may be varied for a purpose to be hereinafter described. It will be readily apparent from an inspection of Figs. 2 and 3, that the sheet of cardings conveyed by the apron 9 will fall upon the periphery of the roll 24. as the sheet reaches the end of the apron 9 and that the cardings will be, deflected beneath the overhanging end of the apron 9 by reason of the angle between the axes of rotation of the roll 24: and the upper apron'roll 11, such deflection being accomplished without disturbing the parallelism of the iibres. The deflecting roll 24: is driven at substantially the same speed of rotation as the apron roll 11 by means of a sprocket wheel 27, under which the chain 23 passes, see Fig. 5.

As best shown in Fig. l, a pair of gathering aprons 28 and 29 are provided beneath the deflecting roll 24: for receiving the sheet of cardings. The aprons 28 and 29 are of sufficient width to receive the deflected cardings for any given setting of the roll 24, for it is evident from an inspection of Fig. 3, that the'angularity of the roll 24.- will determine the width of the zone within which the cardings are laid on the gathering aprons 28 and 29. The aprons 28v and 29 are adapted to be driven in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4, and a preferred arrangement for driving the aprons 28 and 29 will now be described.

A shaft 30 is rotatably mounted in bearings 31 carried by the end frames 26, and is driven at substantially the same speed of rotation as the upper apron roll 11 and the deflecting roll 9/4: by means of a sprocket wheel 32, around which the chain 23 also passes. As best shown in Fig. 2, the shaft 30 extends in front of the gathering aprons 28 and 29 and is connected to one roll 33 of the apron 28 by means of bevel gearingB. One roll 35 of apron 29 is connected to the shaft 30 by means of bevel gearing 36, and it is obvious from a consideration-of Fig. i that when the shaft'30 is driven in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow, the upper surfaces of the aprons 28 and 29 will. move toward each other. The

. bearings 37 which support the outside apron rolls 33 and 35 are adjustable on a cross member 38 of the frame by means of screws 39 cooperating with lugs 40 fixed on the frame member 38, so that the degree of tightness' of the surfaces of the aprons 28 and 29 maybe varied or the distance between the ends of the aprons changed after loosening the bearings of the inner rolls 33 and 35, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

It will be evident from a consideration of the, apparatus described thusfar, that the sheet of cardings which passes from the apron 9 will be deflected by the roll 24: in

such a manner that it will be distributed laterally on the aprons 28 and 29. As the deflected cardings reach the oppositely moving aprons 28 and 29, the sheet will be gathered in folds, as shown in Fig. l, and the fibres constituting the sheet will undergo a transition from an arrangement in the form of a wide sheet of negligible thickness into an arrangement inthe form of a ribbon havin a width determined by the angularity of the roll 24, and a thickness determined by the space between the ends of the gathering aprons 28 and 29.

The action of transforming the cardings from a sheet into a ribbon is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6, the direction of movement of'the fibres as they fall upon the moving aprons 28 and 29 being indicated in full lines. The outline of the deflecting roll 2st is indicated in dotted lines, from which it is apparent that the angularity of the axis of rotation of this roll 24 will positively determine the width of the ribbon formed on the, aprons 28 and 29. it will also be obvious from an inspection of G, that the cross section of the ribbon it passes down between the ends of the aprons 28 and 29 will be generally that of a nonrectangular parallelogram, indicated by dots in Fig. 6, one dimension of which will be determined by the inclination of the roll 24, and the other dimension of which will be determined by the distance between the aprons 28 and 29. A peculiar characteristic of this ribbon, which has an important bearing on its furture handling, hereinafter described, is that the fibres lying along the edges of the ribbon are considerably less dense than the fibres at the middle of the section. It should also be borne in mind at this point that in forming the ribbon, the original parallel arrangement of the fibres as they are'stripped in the form of a sheet from the doffer roll has not been appreciably disturbed, as the fibres travel successively over the apron 9, under the roll 24: and upon the aprons 28 and 29. the surfaces of the aprons and the roll all moving at substantially the same linear speed.

As the completely formed ribbon from between the aprons 28 and 29, it drops upon an apron 41 moving in the same direction as theapron 28, which apron 4-1 conveys the ribbon to a point beyond the right hand end frame 26. The apron ll is supported on rolls 42 and 43, the latter roll being driven from the shaft 30 by means of sprocket wheels 44c and 45, a chain 46 bevel gearing 47. A pressure roll 48 is loosely mounted between brackets 49 carried by the end frame 26, each bracket being provided with a slot 50 for receiving the trunnions of the roll 48. The ribbon pa ses between the apron 41 and the roll 48, inch latter presses upon the ribbon and prevents it from leavin the a renal as the ribbon passes upwardly t tlie conveyor 8, which will now be described.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 7 and 8, a standard 51 extends upwardly from the frame 26 atthe delivery end of the apron 41 and is provided at its upper end with a pivotally mounted bracket 52. The bracket 52 provides upwardly extending divergent arms 53, between which is rotatably mounted a shaft 54, carrying a roll 55, around which passes an endless apron 56. The shaft is adapted to be driven by means of a belt 57 passing around any one of a number of stepped pulleys 58 carried by the shaft i, the belt passing downwardly around any one of a number of correspondingly stepped pulleys 59 carried by the shaft 80, as best shown in Fig. 4.. Vith this arrangement it is obvious that the apron 56 maybe driven at different speeds. The other end of the apron 56 passes around a roll 60, rotatably supported at its ends by bearing brackets 61. The brackets 61 are adjustably mounted on arms 62 which extend in the direction of the shaft 54-, and the end portions of the arms 62 are received in clamping members 68 which are loosely mounted on the shaft 5-4 so that the arms 62, together with the outer apron roll 60, are capable of pivotal movement about the axis of the shaft 54-. The arms 62, however, are yieldingly main tained in such a position as to hold the apron 56 extended, by means of thrust rods 64,

' which are carried by the collars 65 clamped on the arms 62 at a distance from the shaft 54;. The thrust rods 64 extend downwardly at an angle to the apron arms 62 and pass loosely through lugs 66 provided at the ends of extensions 67 projecting downwardly from the bracket arms 53. Each rod 641: is surrounded by a coil spring 68, the lower end of which rests against the lug 66 while the upper end. engages a collar 69 fixed on the rod 64. The springs 68 being under compression, exert an upward thrust on the rods 64 which tends to yieldingly maintain the apron arms 62 in a substantially horizontal position, in which the a ron 56 is loosely extended between the re ls 55 and 60.

In the operation of my apparatus, the ribbon passes upwardly from between the pressure roll 48 and the apron 41 to the apron 56, which is driven in the direction freely to the distributing device 7, which will now be described.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the distributing device 7 consists of a laying head 70 which is adapted, by a reciprocatory movement, to lay the ribbon on an apron 71, the upper surface of which moves in the direction of the card cylinders 72 of the second carding machine 2. As best shown in Figs. 9 to 11 inclusive, the laying head 7 0 is slidably supported on a rod 73 extending between upright frame members 74: secured to horizontal frame members 7 carried by the carding machine. The head 70 is adapted to be moved back and forth between the frame members 74 by means of an endless chain 76 supported at its ends by sprocket wheels 77 and 78. The sprocket wheel 78 is connected by bevel gearing 79 to a shaft 80, which is in turn connected by gearing 81 to a shaft 82 extending between the frame members 74 parallel to the rod 73. The shaft 82 is connected by gearing 83 to a shaft 84 carrying a pulley 85, by means of which the shaft- 84: is driven from a suitable source of power, not shown. Rotation of the shaft will cause the chain 76 to be driven continuously and carry with it the head 7 ()by means of a driving connection between the head 70 and the chain 76 which consists of a pin 86 received in one of the links of the chain, and also movable in a slot 87 provided in the head 70.

It is obvious that when the chain 76 is driven in the direction of the arrow, the pin 86 will carry the head 70 to the left until. the link of the chain which receives the pin 86 passes around the sprocket wheel 70 and starts to move in the opposite direction. The movement of the pin 86 around the periphery of the wheel 77 is permitted by the slot 87, so that when the pin 86 starts on its upper course, the head 70 is moved to the right. Continued movement of the chain 76 by the sprockets 77 and 78 will, therefore, impart a reciprocatory movement to the head 70 above the apron 71.

As best shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the laying head 70 also carries a pair of laying rolls 88, each provided around its periphery with corrugations 88. The rollsr88 are r0- tatably mounted on the head 70 and are connected by spur gears 89, one roll being provided with a shaft ext'ension90 carrying a bevel gear 91. The gear 91 is in mesh with a bevel gear 92 slidably l ieyed to the shaft 82, which as previously described, is adapted to be driven from the power shaft 84. By meansof this gearing the rolls 88'are driven in unison in opposite directions as the head 70 is moved back and forth between the frame members 74. i

A's. clearly shown in Figs, 1 and 2, the ribboa is adaptedto pass dow wardly fromthe apron .56, b twee the. rol s 88, which are adapted to hold the silver therebetween as the head is moved backand forth. The

rolls 88 are adapted, by their rotation, to

feed the ribbon downwardly to the apron 71, while the reciprocatory movement of the head 70 causes the ribbon to be laid back and forth on the moving apron 71. The moving head 70 is connected to the arms 62 which support the apron 56 by a flexible connector 70 so that as the head 70 moves first to one side and then to the other of the apron 56, the arms 62 yield downwardly against the action of the springs 68 and thus permit the laying of the ribbon without subjecting the same to any tensile strain which might tend to pull its fibres apart. a

Referring again to Fig. 9, it will be apparent that as one course of the ribbon is laid upon the apron 71 by the head 70 it will be moved away from the head by the apron 71, so that the next course will be laid upon a different portion of the apron 71. As previously pointed out, the cross sect-ion of the ribbon at any point in its length is generally that of a non-rectangular parallelgram, so that as'successive courses of the same are laid upon the apron 71, the

courses will nest upon each otherin such a manner that the succession of courses will make a flat layer on the apron 71, this action being clearly shown in Fig. 9.

As successively laid courses of the ribbon are moved toward the second carding machine, they are acted upon by a patter 93 which tends to flatten out and reduce the thickness of the layers of ribbon carried on the apron 71. The patter 98 is carried by a shaft 94 and is adapted to have an oscillatory movement imparted thereto, so that the patter 93 moves up and down between the extreme positions, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 9. The shaft 94 carries an arm 95 which is connected by means of a rod 96 to a pin 97 eccentrically mounted on a crank disk 98 carried by the shaft 82. The rod 96 is connected to the arm 95 by means of a pin 99 adjustable within a slot 100, whereby the throw of the arm 95 and the amplitude of movement of the patter 93 may be varied.

It will be apparent that as successively laid courses of ribbon are carried underneath the patter 93 by the apron 71, they will be compressed to a certain degree so that the cardings may be more readily acted upon by the teeth of the carding cylinders 72. It will also be apparent that the laying of the courses of the ribbon on the apron 71 results in little or know disturbance of the parallelism of the fibres, so that the drawing out of the fibres by the second carding machine 2 is accomplished without tearing the fibres.

Referring now to Figs. 12, 13 and 14, there is illustrated a modification of the apparatus for receiving the cardings from the first dotfer cylinder and gathering the same into the ribbon which is distributed for further operation thereon by the second carding machine. Tn the modified form of my invention, the principle of operation is the same as with the apparatus previously described, the modification consisting primarily of the elimination of certain mechanical elements found in the previously described mechanism and in the substitution therefor of other mechanical elements, each capable of performing the functions of two or more of the elements eliminated.

Referring to Fig. 12, the modified. apparatus consists of an apron 101 extending the length of the doffer cylinder 102, the ends of the aprons being supported by rolls 103 and 10 1 at difierent heights, whereby the apron 101 has an inclination downward from the dolfer cylinder 102. As best shown in Fig. 14E, the axes of the rolls 108 and 10 1, while parallel to each other, extend at a slight angle to the axis of the doffer cylinder 102, which angle is shown as being exaggerated. The angle of the apron 101 may be varied by shifting the pedestals 105 and 106, carrying the bearings of the rolls 103 and 10 1' respectively, and to this end the pedestal 105 is provided with a curved slot 107, whereby the entire apron structure may be swung about a pivot bolt 108 cooperating with the other pedestal 106, a bolt 109 serving to clamp the pedestal 105 in position.

As best shown in Fig. 13, a pair of aprons 110 and 111 are arranged below the apron 101 with their conveying surfaces inclined downwardly and inwardly toward each other. The apron 110 extends beneath the apron 111 and terminates at a point slightly beyond the end frame 112, and a guide roll 113 is loosely mounted just above the end of the apron 110 for confining the ribbon it passes upwardy to the conveyor 8, which operates in exactly the same manner as it does in connection with the distributing device 7, previously described. The aprons 110 and 111 are adapted to be driven in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows, the lower end of apron 111 terminating a short distance above the surface of the apron 110. The degree of tightness of the apron 110 is adapted to be varied by shifting the axis of its lower apron roll 11 1 with respect to the axes of its upper apron roll 115 preferably as described with .reference to the apron rolls 33 and 35, whereby the distance between the aprons 110 and 111 may be closely regulated to vary the thickness of the ribbon. As indicated in Fig. 12, the aprons 110 and 111 are adapted to be driven in unison from a sha t 116 through gearing 11", these driving members having been removed in Figs. 13 and 14 inorder to show more clearly the functioning of the aprons 110 and 111.

When the machine is in. operation, it is evident that a sheet of cardings will pass from the dofi'er cylinder 102 onto the downwardly moving surface of the apron 101, upon which surface the cardings will remain in sheet form. The cardings will then be moved downwardly by the apron 101 until they reach the end of the same, whereupon the cardings will fall upon the oppositely moving surfaces of the aprons 110 and 111. It will be evident from an inspect on of Fig. 14, that the cardings will be distributed laterally on the aprons 110 and 111, by reason of the fact that the lower edge of the apron 101 extends, at an angle to the edges of the aprons 110 and 111. As the sheet of carding reaches theoppositely mov ing aprons 110 and 111, the sheet will be gathered in folds, as shown in Fig. 13, in substantially the same manner as shown in Fig. 4, it being obvious that the angular displacement between the apron 101 andthc aprons 110 and 111 will have the same effect on the distribution of the cardings as the deflecting roll 24. The gathered cardings will then be drawn beneath the lower end of the apron 111 by the movement of the apron 110, and it is evident that the fibres originally constitutingthe sheet of cardings will undergo a transition from an arrangement in the form of a wide sheet of negligible thickness into an arrangement in the form of a ribbon having a width determined by the ang'ularity of the apron 101, and a thickness determined by the space between the lower end of the apron 111 and the surface of the apron 110. This transformation of the cardings takes place in substantially the same manner as indicated diagrammati; cally in Fig. 6 and the ribbon is then carried on the apron 110 to a Joint beyond the end frame 112, from which it passes upwardly under the roll 113 to the conveyor 8, not shown. The ribbon is then acted upon by the distributing device 7 in substantially the same manner as previously described.

From the foregoing it is apparent that while the modified devices shown in Figs.

12, 13 and 1 1 are adapted to carry out my mventlon in substantially the same manner as the devices shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the

modified devices are somewhat more compact 1n arrangement as compared to the de vices previously described, for example, the

apron 101 is adapted to perform substantially the same functions as the apron 9 operating in conjunction with the deflecting roll 24. while the aprons 110 and 111 are adapted to perform substantially the same functions as the aprons 28 and 29 operating in conjunction with the apron 41.

From the foregoing it is'apparent that by my invention I have provided an improved method of and apparatus for handling carded material, whereby the mate rial may be transferred from one carding machine to another in such a manner that the parallel relation between the fibres of the material remains practically undisturbed from the time the fibres leave the doffer cyl inder, until they are acted upon by the teeth of the next carol. By the practice of my invention the tearing apart of the fibres by the action of the teeth of the second card is substantially eliminated due to the fact that no compacting or twisting of the fibres occurs in transferring the material from one carding machine to another.

I claim:

1. The improvement in the handling of carded material which consists in removing carded material in sheet form from the doffer cylmder of one carding machine, then atheringthe' sheet of material into a ribbon "having the section of a non-rectangular parallelogram for lengthwise conveyanceto a second carding machine, and then laying the rlbbon back and forth with successive courses n nest-mg relatlon on the receiv ng apron of said second machine transversely to the l1ne of movement of said apron.

2. The improvement in the handling of carded material which consists in removing cardedmaterial in sheet form from the dofler cylinder of onecarding machine, then gathering the sheet of material into a ribbon having the section of a non-rectangular parallelogram for lengthwise conveyance to a second carding'machine, and thenlaying the ribbon -With l y in nesting relation upon'the apron of said second machine with the fibres extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of its breaker cylinder.

3. The improvement in the handling of carded material, wh ch conslsts 1n transferring carded material in sheet form from the doffer cylinder of a carding machlne to sur faces moving in different planes and 1n different directions, whereby the fibres consti- A tut-ing the sheet of cardings undergo a transition from an arrangement in sheet form to an arrangement in the form of a ribbon having the section of a non-rectangular parallelogram.

4C. The improvement in the handling 01 lar parallelogram.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the

combination with the dofl'er cylinder of a carding machine, of a pair of aprons adapted for movement towards each other, and means for conveying cardings away from said cylinder in sheet form and distributing the cardings laterally upon said aprons, whereby the cardings undergo a transition from an arrangement in sheet form to an arrangement in the form of a ribbon having the cross section of a non-rectangular parallelogram.

6. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with the dotfer cylinder of a carding machine, of a pair of aprons adapted for movement towards each other, and means for conveying cardings away from said cylinder in sheet form and distributing the cardings laterally upon said aprons, whereby the cardings are gathered into a ribbon having the cross section of a non-rectangular parallelogram without disturbing their parallel relation.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with means for removing cardings in sheet form from the dolfer cylinder of a carding machine, and means for gathering the cardings into a ribbon having the section of a non-rectangular parallelogram without disturbing the parallelism of the fibres, of means of conveying the gathered cardings to a point above the apron of a sec ond carding machine for distribution in nesting relation on said apron transversely to the line of movement of said apron.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with means for removing cardings in sheet form from the doffer cylinder of a carding machine, means for gathering the cardings into a ribbon having the section of a non-rectangular parallelogram without disturbing the parallelism of the fibres, of means for conveying the gathered cardings to a. point above the apron of a second carding machine, and means for laying successive courses of the gathered cardings in nesting relation on said apron.

9. In apparatus of the class describec, the combination with means for removing cardings in sheet form from the doffer cylinder of a carding machine, means for gathering the cardings into a ribbon having the section of a non-rectangular parallelogram without disturbing the parallelism of the fibres, of means for conveying the gathered cardings to a point above the apron of a second carding machine, means for laying successive courses of the gathered cards in nesting relation on said apron, andmeans for compressing the courses thus laid prior to being acted on by the cards of the second machine.

10. The improvement in the handling of arded material, which consists first in transferring carded material in sheet form from the (letter cylinder of a carding member to a surface moving obliquely away from said cylinder, and then transferring the carded material from said obliquely moving surface to oppositely moving surfaces below said first named surface, whereby cardings will undergo a transition from an arrangement in sheet form into an arrangement in the form of a ribbon having the section of a non-rectangular parallelogram.

11. in apparatus of the class described, the combination with the cylinder of a carding, machine, a doffer for removing cardings in sheet form from said cylinder and a pair of aprons adapted for movement towards each other, of means for distributing the sheet of cardings obliquely across said aprons, whereby the cardings are gathered into a ribbon, the edges of which are thinner than the middle thereof.

12. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with the cylinder of acarding machine, a doffer for removing cardings in sheet form from said cylinder and a pair of aprons adapted for movement towards each other, of means for distributing the sheet of cardings obliquely across said aprons, whereby the cardings are gathered into a ribbon, the width of which is determined by the obliquity of the sheet of card ings across the aprons, and the thickness of which is determined by the space between the aprons for the passage of the ribbon.

13. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with the cylinder of a carding machine, a dotler for removing cardings in sheet form from said cylinder and a pair of aprons adapted for movement towards each other, of means for distributing the sheet of cardings obliquely across said aprons, whereby the cardings are gathered into a ribbon, and means for varying the degree of obliquity of the sheet of cardings across the aprons to determine the Width of the ribbon.

lei. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with the cylinder of a card iii-g machine, a dor'ler for removing cardings in sheet form from said cylinder and a pair of aprons adapted for movement towards each other, of means for distributing the sheet of cardings obliquely across said aprons, whereby the cardings are gathered into a ribbon, and means for varying both the degree of obliquity of the sheet of card ings across the aprons and the space between the aprons to determine the width and thickness of the ribbon.

Dated this 21st day of November, 1924.

JOSEPH F. SCHIMEK. 

